James Captain vs Yamaha YP250

The James Captain passes its MOT first time more often than the Yamaha YP250: 90.6% vs 82.5%, a 8.1-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

first-time pass rate, outright fail rate and tests analysed · 2005–2025

Metric	James Captain	Yamaha YP250
First-time pass rate	90.6%	82.5%
Outright fail rate	4.3%	12.3%
Engine size	197cc	249cc
Rank among all models	#776 of 5428	#3073 of 5428
Median miles at test	14,036	15,613
MOT tests analysed	394	12,433
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	brakes

First-time outcomes on normal tests, 2005–2025. "Most common failure" is the component group with the most recorded defects on failed tests. Read pass rates against test counts: a smaller sample is noisier. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

Pass rate by test year

first-time MOT pass rate in each calendar year both bikes were tested

Test year	James Captain	Yamaha YP250
2006	91.4%	86.7%
2007	90.0%	79.8%
2008	97.4%	80.8%
2009	90.4%	81.8%
2010	93.0%	81.3%
2011	87.2%	80.4%
2012	94.4%	83.9%

Each year mixes bikes of different ages, so a fleet that is getting older tends to slip.

Pass rate by mileage

first-time MOT pass rate by miles on the clock at test

Mileage	James Captain	Yamaha YP250
0k-10k miles	87.1%	88.6%
10k-20k miles	92.7%	82.5%
20k-30k miles	89.4%	78.6%
30k-40k miles	94.7%	77.0%

Bands with fewer than 30 tests for either bike are left out.

JAMES CAPTAIN 90.6% pass · 394 tests YAMAHA YP250 82.5% pass · 12.4k tests

See each bike's full report (trend, mileage curve, failure breakdown and rivals) on its own page.